Protective sports helmet chinstrap assembly

ABSTRACT

A chin strap assembly is provided for use with a sports helmet. The chin strap assembly includes an inner pad member, a strap assembly and an outer protective member. The outer protective member is coupled to the strap assembly by an attachment member, such as a post. A sports helmet with the chin strap assembly is also provided.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of pending U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 15/699,661, filed on Sep. 8, 2017, which is a continuation ofU.S. Pat. No. 9,756,889, issued on Sep. 12, 2017, which claims thebenefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 from U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 61/698,987, filed on Sep. 10, 2012, the disclosuresof which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for allpurposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to a chinstrap assembly for securing a helmet tothe head of a player engaged in a contact sport, such as football,lacrosse or hockey. The chinstrap assembly includes a flexible inner padmember and a substantially rigid outer protective member that isremovably attached to the inner pad member.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Chinstraps are known for securing helmets to the heads of players incontact sports such as football, lacrosse or hockey. Chinstrapsgenerally include a cup portion that overlies the wearer's chin, andstraps that extend from the cup and attach to the helmet. There aregenerally two types of cups—a soft cup comprising an assembly offlexible fabrics such as vinyl, nylon, and the like, and a hard cup thatincludes a rigid outer portion and a padded inner portion rigidlyattached, typically by gluing, to the rigid outer portion. An example ofa hard cup chinstrap is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,081,932, entitled,“CHIN STRAP ASSEMBLY FOR USE WITH AN ATHLETIC HELMET.”

Soft cups are often integrally formed with the straps, for example, thestraps are arranged to criss-cross over the wearer's jaw bone on eachside of the wearer's chin, and a web of fabric is stitched into theresulting oblong space between the straps to overlie the wearer's chin.Hard cups often include slots formed in the rigid outer portion, whichis typically formed of an impact resistant plastic, and the strapsextend through or otherwise coupled to the slots. As mentioned above, aninner pad member is typically glued and permanently attached to therigid outer portion.

While soft cups can flex to accommodate the player's anatomical featuresto provide a more customized fit, they provide less protection for thewearer's chin compared to hard cups. A hard cup, while providingincreased protection of the wearer's chin, may not fit as well as a softcup because of the rigidity of the hard cup.

In addition to being less comfortable, a poorly fitting chinstrapassembly may also be less effective at maintaining the helmet in anappropriate location on the wearer's head, which can reduce the overalllevel of protection for the user. Features and advantages of theinvention will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon review ofthe following detailed description and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a protective sports helmet with achinstrap assembly.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the chinstrap assembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged front view of the chinstrap assembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a rear view of the chinstrap assembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged rear view of the chinstrap assembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a top view of the chinstrap assembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the chinstrap assembly of FIG. 1 showingan outer protective member removed.

FIG. 8 is a front view of a strap assembly of the chinstrap assembly ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the strap assembly of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged side view of an attachment member for removablyattaching the outer protective member of FIG. 7 to the chinstrapassembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While this invention is susceptible of embodiments in many differentforms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described indetail preferred embodiments of the invention with the understandingthat the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification ofthe principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broadaspect of the invention to the embodiments illustrated.

FIGS. 1-8 illustrate a protective sports helmet 5 and a chinstrapassembly 10 according to the invention. The sports helmet 5 includes aprotective outer shell 12 and a face guard or face mask 13, which isconfigured to protect the facial area of the wearer of the helmet 5. Theface mask 13 is coupled to the shell 12 by a plurality of connectors 13a. When the helmet 5 is properly positioned on the wearer's head, thechinstrap assembly 10 engages a substantial portion of the wearer's chinand is positioned generally at or below a lower portion of the face mask13. The sports helmet 5 is shown to be a football helmet, however, thechin strap assembly 10 can be utilized with a hockey or lacrosse helmet.

The chinstrap assembly 10 includes a flexible first or inner pad member14, a substantially rigid second or outer protective member 18, and astrap assembly 22. The strap assembly 22 extends through the inner padmember 14, and the outer protective member 18 is coupled to the strapassembly 22, as explained below. The configuration of the inner padmember 14, the outer protective member 18, and strap assembly 22 permitsrelative movement between the inner pad member 14 and the outerprotective member 18, which can result in an improved fit for thewearer. In some embodiments, including the illustrated embodiment, theouter protective member 18 is releasably coupled to the strap assembly22 and can therefore be removed from the strap assembly 22, generallywithout the use of tools. Such releasable coupling can allow a user toquickly and easily change the outer protective member 18, for example ifthe outer protective member 18 becomes damaged, or to change theappearance of the overall chinstrap assembly 10 by exchanging an outerprotective member 18 of one color for an outer protective member 18 of adifferent color. In other embodiments the outer protective member 18 maybe permanently coupled to the strap assembly 22.

As best shown in FIGS. 3, 6, and 7, in the illustrated embodiment, theouter protective member 18 has a substantially obround periphery (e.g.,FIG. 3) and includes four attachment openings 30 located near theperiphery of the outer protective member 18. A raised annular rib 31surrounds each opening 30. Ribs 34 extend in an X-pattern between theopenings 30 and ventilation openings 38 are provided on each side of theouter protective member 18 between the openings. As shown in FIGS. 3 and7, a spline or intermediate structure 39 is positioned between andseparates the pair of ventilation openings 38. Referring to FIG. 3, theribs 34 are integrally formed as a part of the outer protective member18 and extend between top and bottom portions 18 a and 18 b of the outerprotective member 18. Also shown in FIG. 3, the ribs 34 are raised orelevated with respect to adjacent outer surfaces 18 c and 18 d of theouter protective member 18. Further shown in FIG. 3, the spline 39 andthe ventilation openings 38 are positioned in the area 18 d that isadjacent to the raised outer surface 34 a formed by the ribs 34.Referring to FIG. 7 showing the underside of the protective member 18,the ribs 34 are recessed or depressed with respect to adjacent innersurfaces 18 e and 18 f of the outer protective member 18. Also shown inFIG. 7, the spline 39 and the ventilation openings 38 are positioned inthe area 18 f that is adjacent to the recessed inner surface 34 b formedby the ribs 34. The outer protective member 18 has a curvilinearconfiguration and is adapted to receive an extent of the inner padmember 14 (e.g., FIG. 6). In the illustrated embodiment the outerprotective member 18 is formed from an impact resistant plastic,although other generally rigid, impact resistant materials, such ascomposites like carbon fiber, aramid, and/or fiberglass, may also beused.

As best shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the inner pad member 14 includes aninner panel 42 having end portions 46 that are stitched to one anotheralong longitudinal seam 50. Inner panel 42 includes a central portion 44positioned between by a pair of openings 45 (see FIGS. 5 and 7). Theinner pad member 14 also includes an outer panel 54 that is stitched toupper and lower edges of the inner panel 42, as at 58, while forming anopening 43 in opposed ends of the inner pad member 14. In this manner,the inner and outer panels 42, 54 are joined to form the inner padmember 14. The outer panel 54 includes a central opening 55 that has alarger configuration than the inner panel openings 45. As shown in FIG.7, the central opening 55 exposes the posts 78 that comprise theattachment members 70. The illustrated inner and outer panels 42, 54 areformed by way of thermoforming and include an outer abrasion-resistantlayer 62 formed of vinyl and an inner padded layer 66, preferably formedof foam.

Referring also to FIGS. 7-9, in the illustrated embodiment the strapassembly 22 includes two strap members 26 a, 26 b that extend throughthe openings 43 in the inner pad member 14 such that opposite ends 28 a,28 b of each respective strap member 26 a, 26 b are positioned onopposite sides of the chinstrap assembly 10 (see FIGS. 2 and 4).Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, the strap members 26 a, 26 b intersect andoverlap at two distinct intersection locations 26 c to form a centralstrap aperture 27. The intersection locations 26 c are spacedapproximately 4-6 inches apart, preferably 5 inches apart. In theembodiment shown in the Figures, the strap members 26 a, 26 b are fedthrough the end openings 43 of the inner pad member 14 such that (i) theends of the inner pad member 14 are adjacent the intersection locations26 c, and (ii) the central portion 44 extends through the central strapaperture 27 while exposing the posts 78 that extend from the attachmentmembers 70 through the central opening 55. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9,each strap member 26 a, 26 b includes an intermediate portion 26 a 1, 26b 1 positioned between the intersection locations 26 c. When the chinstrap assembly 10 is assembled, the intermediate portion 26 a 1 of firststrap member 26 a extends through and between end openings 43 of theinner pad member 14 and across a length of the inner pad member 14defined between the end openings 43. Similarly, the intermediate portion26 b 1 of second strap member 26 b extends through and between endopenings 43 of the inner pad member 14 and across the length of theinner pad member 14. An adjustable snap assembly 32, such as a bucklewith integrated snap, is provided on each end 28 a, 28 b of each strap26 a, 26 b for securing the chinstrap assembly 10 to a helmet. In otherembodiments, four strap members may be used with each strap memberhaving one free end and one end sewn or otherwise attached to the innerpad member 14. In still other embodiments, two strap members may be usedbut may be attached to the inner pad member 14 such that both ends ofeach strap are positioned on the same side of the chinstrap assembly 10.The strap member or members may be configured such that only one strapmember extends from each side of the inner pad member 14. These andother variations on the specific arrangement of the strap assembly 22fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention.

In the illustrated embodiment, the strap assembly 22 also includes meansfor removably coupling the outer protective member 18 to the strapassembly 22 in the form of a pair of attachment members 70 coupled tothe strap members 26 a, 26 b. Each attachment member 70 includes agenerally V-shaped web portion 74 that is joined (e.g., stitched orglued) to the strap members 26, 26 b as at 76, a location substantiallyadjacent to where the strap members 26 a, 26 b cross one another. Eachattachment member 70 also includes a pair of coupling members in theform of posts 78 positioned near or adjacent the ends of the V-shapedweb portions 74. The posts 78 have an elongated configuration and arearranged for insertion into the attachment openings 30 in the outerprotective member 18 to define a connected position Pc (see FIGS. 2, 3,and 6). In another embodiment, the web portion 74 is severely reduced,or even omitted from the attachment member 70 such that the posts 78 areoperably connected to the strap 26 a, 26 b.

Referring also to FIG. 10, each post 78 is generally mushroom-shaped andincludes a rounded and enlarged top portion 82 adapted for insertionthrough a respective attachment opening 30. In the connected positionPc, the top portion 82 is substantially flush with the annular ridge 31in the outer member 18. A circumferential groove 86 is located below thetop portion 82 and receives an inner circumferential edge 30 a of therespective attachment opening 30 in the connected position Pc. Anelongated, preferably cylindrical, support portion 90 extends betweenthe groove 86 and the web portion 74 of the attachment member 70. Thesupport portion 90 has a height that appropriately spaces the outerprotective member 18 a distance away from the strap assembly 22 suchthat portions of the inner pad member 22 reside between the strapassembly 22 and the outer protective member 18. In this regard, althoughportions of the inner pad member 14 and the outer protective member 18may be in direct physical contact with one another, in the illustratedembodiment the outer protective member 18 is indirectly coupled to theinner pad member 14 by way of the posts 78 and the strap members 26 a,26 b. This arrangement allows for relative movement between the outerprotective member 18 and the inner pad member 14, as further describedbelow.

Referring to FIGS. 7-10, the enlarged top portion 82 and groove 86 ofeach post 78 are cooperatively dimensioned with the attachment openings30 in the outer protective member 18 to provide a secure snap fitbetween the posts 78 and the attachment openings 30 in in the connectedposition Pc. This reduces the likelihood of the outer protective memberbeing inadvertently dislodged or removed from the strap assembly 22during the course of play. Moreover, when the strap members 26 a, 26 bare secured, e.g., when the chinstrap assembly 10 is properly attachedto a helmet by securing the snap assemblies 32 to the helmet, the posts78 on each side of the chinstrap assembly 10 may be pulled or rotatedgenerally outwardly (towards the helmet) such that the grooves 86 arebiased or urged into further or deeper engagement with the outerportions of the circumferential edges 30 a of the attachment openings.In some applications, the wearer's chin may function as a fulcrum suchas the strap members 26 a, 26 b are pulled taut when the chinstrapassembly 10 is attached to the helmet, the posts 78 on each side of thechinstrap assembly 10 angularly deflect in a generally outward andupward direction (with respect to the wearer's head) such that thegrooves 86 move into further or deeper engagement with thecircumferential edges 30 a of their respective attachment openings 30.These effects can reduce the likelihood of the outer protective member18 being dislodged or removed from the strap assembly 22 during thecourse of play. However, when the chinstrap assembly 10 is removed theposts 78 return to un-deformed, un-deflected positions, wherein theposts 78 are essentially centered with respect to the attachmentopenings 30 to allow the outer protective member 18 to be removed fromthe strap assembly 22 by the wearer of the helmet (or the training orcoaching staff), if desired.

By attaching the relatively rigid outer protective member 18 to thestrap assembly 22 in discrete, spaced apart locations (e.g., at theposts 78) at the connected position Pc, relative movement is permittedbetween the outer protective member 18 and portions of the strapassembly 22. Even though movement of the straps 26 a, 26 b immediatelyadjacent the posts 78 is somewhat limited due to coupling of the posts78 with the outer protective member 18, flexing and bending of thestraps 26 a, 26 b are permitted in those portions of the strap assembly22 that extend between and away from the posts 78. Such flexing andbending of the strap assembly 22 and the inner pad member 14 functionsto accommodate, for example, anatomical variations in the chin and jawline of the helmet wearer to provide a more customized and comfortablefit. Another structural feature that permits flexing and bending of theinner pad member 14 and the strap assembly 22 is the reduced width WI ofthe outer protective member 18 with respect to the width W2 of the innerpad member 14 (FIG. 6), which allows outermost portions of the inner padmember 14 to flex and bend.

Several alternative configurations of the inner pad member 14, outerprotective member 18, and strap assembly 22 are possible withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Forexample, in some embodiments, more or fewer posts 78 can be used,including two posts, a single post, three posts, and the like, in avariety of arrangements, without limitation. In some embodiments, thepost or posts 78 can also or alternatively be attached to the inner padmember 14. Moreover, in some embodiments the orientation of theattachment members 70 and the openings 30 are reversed, wherein posts(or similar projections) are provided on the outer protective member 18and suitable openings or recesses could be provided on the inner padmember 14 and/or the strap assembly 22. As noted above, some embodimentscan include a different arrangement or configuration of straps 26 a, 26b, and/or different configurations and structures for the inner padmember 14 and the outer protective member 18. These and othervariations, whether taken alone or in combination, all fall within thespirit and scope of the present invention.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exactdetails of construction, operation, exact materials or embodiments shownand described, as obvious modifications and equivalents will be apparentto one skilled in the art; for example, the entire cantilever strapcould be provided with a shock absorbing pad disposed upon its lowersurface. Accordingly, the invention is therefore to be limited only bythe scope of the appended claims. While the specific embodiments havebeen illustrated and described, numerous modifications come to mindwithout significantly departing from the spirit of the invention, andthe scope of protection is only limited by the scope of the accompanyingClaims.

1. A protective chin strap assembly configured to be removablyconnectable to a protective sports helmet, the multiple componentprotective chin strap assembly comprising: an inner pad member adaptedto engage an extent of a chin of a person wearing the protective chinstrap; an outer protective member having a top portion, a bottomportion, a first terminal end and a second terminal end, the outerprotective member having: a central portion having a raised rib that is(a) integrally formed as part of the outer protective member, and (b)extends between the top and bottom portions of the outer protectivemember, wherein said raised rib is elevated with respect to: (i) a firstadjacent outer surface of the outer protective member that is positionedbetween the raised rib and the first terminal end and (ii) a secondadjacent outer surface of the outer protective member that is positionedbetween the raised rib and the second terminal end; a first pair ofventilation openings formed in the outer protective member between theraised rib and the first terminal end; a first spline integrally formedas part of the outer protective member and positioned between theventilation openings of the first pairing; a second pair of ventilationopenings formed in the outer protective member between the raised riband the second terminal end; a second spline integrally formed as partof the outer protective member and positioned between the ventilationopenings of the second pairing; and a strap assembly having a firstelongated strap member and a second elongated strap member that arecoupled to the outer protective member.
 2. The protective chin strapassembly of claim 1, wherein: (i) each ventilation opening in the firstpairing of ventilation openings has a straight side, said straight sidesare parallel to one another and (ii) each ventilation opening in thesecond pairing of ventilation openings has a straight side, saidstraight sides are parallel to one another.
 3. The protective chin strapassembly of claim 1, wherein each ventilation opening has at least foursides.
 4. The protective chin strap assembly of claim 1, furthercomprising: a first coupling member and a second coupling member; afirst opening and a second opening within the outer protective member;and wherein (i) the first elongated strap member is coupled to the outerprotective member by the first coupling member that extends through thefirst opening in the outer protective member and (ii) the secondelongated strap member is coupled to the outer protective member by thesecond coupling member that extends through the second opening in theouter protective member.
 5. The protective chin strap assembly of claim4, wherein the outer protective member is releasably coupled to thestrap assembly by the first and second coupling members.
 6. Theprotective chin strap assembly of claim 6, wherein both the first andsecond coupling members have a top portion and a groove, wherein in theconnected position: (i) the groove in the first coupling member engagesan inner edge of the first opening in the outer protective member and(ii) the groove in the second coupling member engages an inner edge ofthe second opening in the outer protective member.
 7. The protectivechin strap assembly of claim 1, wherein the raised rib has an innersurface that is recessed with respect to portions of the inner surfaceof the outer protective member that are positioned between the raisedrib and the terminal ends.
 8. A protective chin strap assemblyconfigured to be removably connectable to a protective sports helmet,the protective chin strap assembly comprising: an inner pad memberadapted to engage an extent of a chin of a person wearing the protectivechin strap; an outer protective member having a first terminal end, asecond terminal end, an inner surface, and an outer surface, the outerprotective member having: a central portion having a raised rib that isintegrally formed as part of the outer protective member, wherein theraised rib has an inner surface and an outer surface, and wherein: (i)the inner surface of the raised rib is recessed with respect to portionsof the inner surface of the outer protective member positioned betweenthe raised rib and the terminal ends and (ii) the outer surface of theraised rib is raised with respect to portions of the outer surface ofthe outer protective member positioned between the raised rib and theterminal ends; a first ventilation opening having a linear edge andbeing formed in the outer protective member between the raised rib andthe first terminal end; a second ventilation opening having a linearedge and being formed in the outer protective member between the raisedrib and the second terminal end; and a strap assembly having a firstelongated strap member and a second elongated strap member that arecoupled to the outer protective member.
 9. The protective chin strapassembly of claim 8, wherein the inner pad member has a central portionand at least two ventilation openings, said central portion ispositioned between the first and second ventilation openings; andwherein, in a connected position, the central portion of the inner padmember is positioned within a portion of the recess in the inner surfaceof the outer protective member.
 10. The protective chin strap assemblyof claim 8, wherein the rib that is integrally formed as part of theouter protective member is elevated with respect to: (i) a firstadjacent outer surface of the outer protective member that is positionedbetween the rib and the first terminal end and (ii) a second adjacentouter surface of the outer protective member that is positioned betweenthe rib and the second terminal end.
 11. The protective chin strapassembly of claim 8, wherein the linear edge of the first ventilationopening is parallel with the linear edge of the second ventilationopening.
 12. The protective chin strap assembly of claim 8, wherein theouter protective member is releasably coupled to the strap assembly. 13.The protective chin strap assembly of claim 8, wherein the rib has an Xshape pattern.
 14. A protective chin strap assembly configured to beremovably connectable to a protective sports helmet, the multiplecomponent protective chin strap assembly comprising: an inner pad memberadapted to engage an extent of a chin of a person wearing the protectivechin strap; an outer protective member having: a first pair ofventilation openings comprised of (i) a first ventilation opening havinga first linear edge and being formed in the outer protective member, and(ii) a second ventilation opening having as a second linear edge andbeing formed in the outer protective member; a first spline integrallyformed as part of the outer protective member and positioned between thefirst and second ventilation openings; a second pair of ventilationopenings comprised of (i) a third ventilation opening having a thirdlinear edge and being formed in the outer protective member, and (ii) afourth ventilation opening having a fourth linear edge and being formedin the outer protective member; a second spline integrally formed aspart of the outer protective member and positioned between the third andfourth ventilation openings, wherein the second spline is aligned withthe first spline; and wherein first linear edge is parallel with thesecond linear edge and the third linear edge is parallel with the fourthlinear edge; and a strap assembly having a first elongated strap memberand a second elongated strap member that are coupled to the outerprotective member.
 15. The protective chin strap assembly of claim 14,wherein the first linear edge is co-linear with the third linear edgeand the second linear edge is co-linear with the fourth linear edge. 16.The protective chin strap assembly of claim 15, further comprising acentral portion having a raised rib that is integrally formed as part ofthe outer protective member, wherein said raised rib is elevated withrespect to: (i) a first adjacent outer surface of the outer protectivemember that is positioned between the raised rib and the first terminalend and (ii) a second adjacent outer surface of the outer protectivemember that is positioned between the raised rib and the second terminalend.
 17. The protective chin strap assembly of claim 15, wherein the ribforms an X shape pattern.
 18. The protective chin strap assembly ofclaim 14, further comprising a central portion having a rib that isintegrally formed as part of the outer protective member, wherein therib is recessed with respect to portions of the inner surface of theouter protective member that are positioned between the rib and theterminal ends.
 19. The protective chin strap assembly of claim 14,wherein the outer protective member is releasably coupled to the strapassembly.